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Originally published as a blog post by Harvest Prayer Ministries Every election season brings a certain degree of anxiety or uneasiness. It’s a big change when one leader steps down and another takes his or her place. Over the past few years, it seems there is a greater level of anxiety and even anger surrounding our national elections. Social media is a reflection of that. Try expressing an opinion on social media without someone becoming angry about your comments. Today, Christians are faced with some tough choices, and I don’t just mean which candidates to vote for. How do we handle the high level of animosity and tension that is so prevalent in our nation today? How do we live out the lifestyle of Jesus in our politically charged season? I’m seeing a number of choices being made. Some develop a posture of being above it all. “Jesus is my King and I’m not lowering myself into the fray.” Certainly we need to have a Christian worldview that recognizes the temporary nature of nations, elections, and culture itself in the light of eternity. But I would suggest to those taking this path that Jesus himself did not withdraw from the culture or even the politics of his day. He waded into some of the most controversial issues that divided Israel in his day, while at the same time, insisting that His Kingdom was not of this world. There’s another extreme that is also very prevalent. It happens when Christians forget that the advance of the Kingdom of Christ is not dependent upon who our elected officials are. Ignoring that can cause us to become combative, angry, and over-emphasize the importance of any election. In this posture we forget that those in another political party or backing a different candidate are not our enemies. In Ephesians 6:12 we are reminded of this: “ For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.: We can find ourselves quickly demonizing others (who are flesh and blood), and forgetting the law of love. May I suggest a broad middle ground that allows for many degrees of involvement or non-involvement? It recognizes that in our nation we have been given the astonishing gift of selecting our own leaders. Yes, yes, I know they often fail us. But then, who of us doesn’t fail in our best attempts at times? The truth of the matter is that we still get the opportunity to choose, even if the choices and outcomes aren’t always what we would want. The Apostle Paul commands us in I Timothy 2, to pray for those in authority so that we might live quiet and peaceful lives. He sums up that thought in verse 4, relating it to God’s desire for everyone to be saved. Paul really was interested in who government leaders were - not so he could have a nice, comfortable life, but so that the atmosphere of the nation would be conducive to evangelism. It seems to me that Paul demonstrates a beautiful balance for us regarding our involvement in selecting leadership and voting. Of course, Paul could not even imagine the option of selecting his own governmental leaders. But as I hear his command to pray for those leaders in order to prepare the way for evangelism, I have no doubt that Paul today would add to his command to pray, the command to vote. Pray and vote, so that the purposes of God might be accomplished. So in the midst of a divisive, tense, and angry time, how should we live in this political world? Again, I look to Paul for instruction. To the Philippians, and to us, Paul gives a most contemporary instruction: “Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God” (Phil. 4:5-6). Gentleness . . . peace . . . prayer! That’s how we should always approach an election season. And I believe Paul even shows us how to do that. In the midst of his commands he says, “The Lord is near.” We often immediately rush to the Second Coming when we read this, but I’m not sure that’s what Paul is saying. The Lord is near . . .  He is close . . . He is right beside you…He is always with you. With Jesus right next to you . . .  near . . . you can live out His gentleness and His peace. Then you will find yourself praying not only for your leaders, but for all that the Lord places on your heart. Eventually the nearness of Jesus breaks through the clouds with the physical return of Jesus to Planet Earth. But until then, we draw near to Him in prayer and He draws near to us so that we demonstrate to those around us the life of Jesus.

Originally published as a blog post by Harvest Prayer Ministries Many churches struggle with helping people to connect with kingdom ministry when they are unsure of what God wants them to do. Training the Church in the intercessory ministry of Jesus can help most people gain a crucial connectivity to the power of God no matter what life stage or circumstance they are in. We are called to live like Jesus. In Romans 8:34, the one thing we know for sure Jesus is currently doing on our behalf is interceding. He is ministering to His people by coming to God continually on our behalf! Should we not also pray for one another as He prays for us? Intercession for people, nations, situations, churches, etc. can reach far beyond what many will ever know in their own lifetimes. The key is training people to see the kingdom impact of intercession and how praying for others is powerful and effective ministry. It is vital to encourage and train different populations of people in the ministry of prayer: Seniors – So many elderly have one of two mindsets as they age. First, they feel they have put in their time and served and now it is time for the younger people to take their places and it is their time to rest. Or, they feel their time of usefulness is past and are unsure what, if anything, to do for the kingdom of God. Leaders should enlist and engage this powerful army of intercessors and show them how their usefulness to the kingdom extends far beyond their physical abilities. Gather your senior saints together and share with them how vital the ministry of prayer is and personally invite them to accept prayer assignments from the leadership. Seniors can pray for pastors and families, for missionary partners, for the nations, for the children of the church, for the activities and outreaches of the church, etc. Then, give them specific prayer points for these things. Likely, you will need someone in leadership to put some time into coordinating this prayer effort by training where it is needed. Even those who have been believers for a long time don’t really know how to pray for others effectively. Teach seniors to pray the word of God over people, situations, etc. Train them to send prayers via email or personal notes to encourage others. You will be amazed at how prayer ministry can give new life to a group of people who no longer feel needed or useful. Another benefit is that by engaging your seniors in this way, some who might have a tendency to be critical, to gossip or to fall away from the church altogether can be recaptured by the power of the kingdom of God at work in and through them! Kingdom usefulness gives new life. Now that you have the idea using the example of seniors, here are some other populations within your congregation to engage in the ministry of prayer: Disabled/Health Fragile – In our churches today are many people who could be encouraged and trained in the ministry of prayer, but who are marginalized. We are setting aside some prayer warriors who just need to be pointed in the right direction and set free! Children and Youth – Paul said to Timothy in 1 Timothy 4:12: “Let no one look down on your youthfulness, but rather in speech, conduct, love, faith and purity, show yourself an example of those who believe.” Our children and youth do not have junior Holy Spirits and should be encouraged from the earliest ages how to seek the face of God and to intercede for others as Jesus did, and still does today. Children are some of the most powerful kingdom intercessors in the church because they are filled with faith! Rather than entertaining our young ones, we should be connecting them to the Vine and training them to minister in and through prayer! Congregational Intercession – Our church prays corporately for another congregation and pastor in our city each week, as well as one of our ministry partners (missionaries). This is kingdom ministry! Can you imagine what God might do as many people focus on interceding for God to move in the lives and work of other churches and ministries in our area and across the world? Rather than being dependent upon one prayer leader speaking a prayer over these needs each week, if everyone took this focus to heart and continued to intercede daily, God would respond in some astonishingly powerful ways in the lives and ministries of many pastors and missionaries. Small Groups – Training small group leaders to lead effective times of prayer is crucial. Otherwise, the short and automatic inclusion of praying will be secondary and focused mainly on health needs alone. We do this as a trained automatic response rather than from heartfelt desire to minister to peoples’ needs. Teach leaders how to help groups see the time of intercession as powerful ministry. Perhaps each small group could adopt an unreached, unengaged people group or a nation where Christians are being persecuted. Prayer is often a lost doctrine of the Church, and its lack is likely the cause of our collective powerlessness for the sake of the kingdom! Much good is being done in the name of Christ, don’t misunderstand me; however, the power of intercessory prayer as modeled for us by Jesus Himself as He actively intercedes at the right hand of God for us has been put on the back burner of spiritual activity. If every ministry was energized by prayer rather than human effort, and if every person in each of our churches was actively trained to engage the Father by seeking His presence, and as a result, if they started interceding, imagine the fuel that would be poured upon the fire of the work of God in our churches!

Originally published as a blog post by Harvest Prayer Ministries What is it we are asking for as we pray for revival? Ultimately, it is for the people of God to begin to experience the presence of Christ in a fresh new way. All other results flow from that. Changed lives in the Church as well as transformation in a culture come not from human effort, but the power of God made manifest in the lives of His people. This isn’t about praying for a better life or that things would go smoothly for us. It is about God and His purposes being accomplished. The acknowledged leader of the First Great Awakening, Jonathan Edwards, was fired by his congregation in the midst of the revival. On a much larger scale, as the Third Great Awakening was taking place in the United States, the nation was dividing into North and South and war then tore the nation into pieces. Some look to another great awakening in this nation as the solution to all of our problems. That would be wonderful but unlikely. It is more likely to take place in the midst of great difficulties and even persecution. If it is widespread and lasting, it may well slow or delay the judgment of God against our sinful nation. More importantly, another great awakening can empower the Church to finish the task of world evangelization. All past revivals have had tremendous evangelistic outreach, and I believe the one to come will as well. In addition, the repentance and humility that will be occurring in the Body of Christ will be a key element in preparing the Bride for the Bridegroom. Revival in the Church can bring a restoration of New Testament purity, passion, and holiness. How do we pray for revival? Certainly Psalm 85:4-7 gives us a clear picture and we would do well to use this in our own prayers: “Restore us again, God our Savior, and put away your displeasure toward us. Will you be angry with us forever? Will you prolong your anger through all generations? Will you not revive us again,that your people may rejoice in you? Show us your unfailing love, Lord, and grant us your salvation.” One of my personal favorites in revival praying is found in Isaiah 63-64. It is a long passage of Scripture that speaks of Israel’s realization that they were missing the presence of God. They remember days in the past when that was not the case and cry out for God to come back to them. Taking this Old Testament passage and bringing it into New Testament realities is a powerful way of praying for revival. You will find yourself praying with Isaiah, “Oh, that you would rend the heavens and come down!” –Excerpted from With One Cry: A Renewed Challenge to Pray for America by David Butts, PrayerShop Publishing 2016. Used with permission.

Originally published as a blog post by Harvest Prayer Ministries “Nothing but the knowledge of God, as the Holy One, will make us holy. And how are we to obtain that knowledge of God, except in the inner chamber, our private place of prayer? It is a thing utterly impossible unless we take time and allow the holiness of God to shine on us.”   ~ Andrew Murray Whenever Moses entered the presence of the Lord, his face shone: “It came about when Moses was coming down from Mount Sinai (and the two tablets of the testimony were in Moses’ hand as he was coming down from the mountain), that Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone because of his speaking with Him” (Exodus 34:29). His appearance was transformed by being with a holy God. In the same way, the gaze of God, shining upon us as we meet with Him in the inner chamber of prayer, is able to transform us into His holy disciples. Being in the presence of God changes us…and the more time we spend with Him, the more He renovates our heart so that our lives reflect Jesus to everyone around us. As I have been contemplating the mystery of God shining on us in all of His holiness in order that we might reflect the holiness of Christ Jesus, I dug into several scriptures that will help us to prayerfully ask for His holiness to be made manifest in us! 1. We Are Chosen to Be Holy:  “For He chose us in Him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in His sight…” (Ephesians 1:4). We were chosen to be holy before the world came to be! What an amazing insight into the heart of God. He envisioned us as holy people even before He breathed us into existence. Prayer:  Father, what an amazing truth! You chose me even before you created the world to be holy and blameless in Your sight. I can hardly comprehend how it must grieve Your heart that Your people are so careless with this gift – myself included! Teach me to more fully understand what it means to be set apart for the purposes of Your kingdom!  Shine on me, Holy God! 2. We Are Called to Be Holy:  “For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life” (1 Thessalonians 4:7).  After God chose us to be holy, God called us to seek after holiness. Knowing that we have a choice multiple times a day to reflect the life of Jesus in our actions and in what we say, He keeps calling us to choose the way of holiness. How well do we respond to His call? Prayer:  Righteous One, I bow my heart in anguish over my sinful ways and worldly choices. You have called me to be holy and I have not honored Your desire for me to be set apart for Your purposes. Teach me to obey Your call! Shine on me, Holy God! 3. Worship God Because He Is the Holy One:  “Ascribe to the LORD the glory due His name; worship the LORD in the splendor of His holiness” (Psalm 29:2 NIV).  “Give to the Lord the glory he deserves! Bring your offering and come into his presence. Worship the Lord in all his holy splendor” (1 Chronicles 16:29 NLT). In order to journey more deeply into the transforming work of God to make us His holy people, we must first focus on the glory of our Father, worshiping Him in His holiness. We cannot begin to comprehend the holiness of God in our own lives if we do not camp out in His holy presence. Prayer:  Father, I am in awe of Your holy splendor! You alone are worthy of worship and honor! You invite me into Your presence to give myself as an offering so that You might transform me by Your holiness. May I shine with Your holiness as You shape me into the image of Your Son, Jesus, so that I might be a living reflection of His character. 4. Be Holy Because He Is Holy:  “But just as He who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: ‘Be holy, because I am holy’” (1 Peter 1:15-16). Holiness is not an option – it is a command from Scripture! We cannot fully obey this mandate when prayer is a duty rather than a desire. Prayer is relationship with the Holy One! The One who desires us to be holy as He is holy! When we neglect this relationship, we cannot obey the call to be holy and to be holy in all we do. Prayer:  Holy One of Israel, deepen my desire to fully know You as I am fully known by You. Forgive me of my prayerlessness and thinking I can work my way towards holiness apart from seeking Your face. Show me what it truly means to be holy as You are holy! Shine on me Holy God! 5. Share in His Holiness:  “For our earthly fathers disciplined us for a few years, doing the best they knew how. But God’s discipline is always good for us, so that we might share in his holiness. No discipline is enjoyable while it is happening—it’s painful! But afterward there will be a peaceful harvest of right living for those who are trained in this way” (Hebrews 12:10-11 NLT). So many of us look at affliction and suffering as something to be avoided; however, God utilizes these things to refine us. We can’t just arrogantly expect to step into holiness without being purified, cleansed and decontaminated. Our worldliness needs to be contained and transformed into godliness. We should therefore welcome our suffering as the training ground for holiness. Zechariah 13:9 says, “I will bring that group through the fire and make them pure. I will refine them like silver and purify them like gold. They will call on my name, and I will answer them. I will say, ‘These are my people,’ and they will say, ‘The Lord is our God.’” If we are unwilling to walk through the fire, we are unwilling to be holy as He is holy. Prayer:  Father, if I am truly honest, I don’t like discipline, and I would never choose to suffer if it was dependent upon my selfish desire to avoid discomfort. But I know that if these things were not a part of my life’s journey, I would stay an immature, ineffective believer rather than growing into a purified, kingdom-changing follower of Jesus. Give me the strength to endure your loving discipline, faith to believe that You are in the midst of my suffering, and a submissive spirit to allow the refining fire to do its work to make me holy as You are holy. Shine on me, Holy God! 6. Righteousness Leads to Holiness:  “You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness. I put this in human terms because you are weak in your natural selves. Just as you used to offer the parts of your body in slavery to impurity and to ever-increasing wickedness, so now offer them in slavery to righteousness leading to holiness” (Romans 6:18-19). Paul pegs us! We are “weak in our natural selves”! We must guard ourselves from making unholy alliances with the ungodly culture around us. Jesus has set us free from sin and death; yet, we keep entangling ourselves in darkness and giving in to the temptations of seemingly harmless distractions. It is in prayer where the alliance with righteousness is made strong and kept whole! Prayer:   Lord Jesus, because of You, I have been set free from sin, and Your righteousness has become my own. Give me strength to choose holiness over the temptations of the world. Set off alarm bells in my soul whenever the evil one attempts to distract me from the purposes of Your kingdom. Shine on me, Holy God! 7. Perfect Holiness Out of Reverence:  “Since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God” (2 Corinthians 7:1). Even in this moment, each of us is likely aware of how easily entangled we can become with what contaminates our desire to be holy people. We cannot walk in integrity of heart when we harbor darkness within us. Prayer:  Holy God, show me how to purify myself from what pollutes my body and spirit! Guard my heart and help me to focus all that I am upon the beauty of Your holiness! Give me strength to walk away from the arrogance of my own thoughts and actions so that day by day I look more like Jesus. Show me how to walk towards a more perfect holiness. Shine on me, Holy God! As we allow the presence of God to impact our lives, He will transform us from the inside out. God’s holiness will be manifested in and through our lives so that our faces truly will shine with the glory of Christ. A.W. Tozer brings this all into a completed whole for us: “Holiness, as taught in the Scriptures, is not based upon knowledge on our part. Rather, it is based upon the resurrected Christ in-dwelling us and changing us into His likeness.”

Originally published as a blog post by Harvest Prayer Ministries I can sometimes be one of those “squirrel” people – you know the ones. You may be having a conversation and in the middle, the person to whom you are talking or who is talking to you gets suddenly and radically distracted by something completely off topic. My husband can be talking and out of the blue, I will point at something, change the subject, or otherwise divert the conversation. This is always completely unintentional, but frustrating just the same. I can even do it to myself! I will be talking to another person and all of a sudden, my mind gets hijacked by something I see…or by an interrupting sound. Worse yet, I sometimes can’t even remember what I was talking about when my attention comes back around to the person I was originally talking to! So, when contemplating the difference between hearing God and listening to Him, I fully understand the distinction between the two. Unless one is deaf or hearing impaired, hearing is simply an automatic sensory activity. We don’t need to actively “do” anything to hear. Sound happens. What we choose to do with what we hear involves the activity of listening. I know this about myself as well…when I don’t pay attention to what someone is saying to me, I will have to ask them to repeat it or just try to fake that I was listening instead of hearing “blah, blah, blah” while my mind was elsewhere! Listening involves attentiveness…it is attaching meaning to what we have heard. It is also intentionally acting upon what is heard by responding appropriately. Because this is sometimes a struggle for me, depending upon the situation, I have to work at and practice the spiritual discipline of listening well. Prayer often involves active listening because there are times when prayer is relational conversation. There are also times when just being in His presence and “being” is enough. This has been called “keeping company with God.” I love those times of intimacy – just knowing that He is with me and I am with Him. But picking up the voice of God when He speaks to my heart is a completely different prayer experience. I wonder how often I have heard God speak, but because I wasn’t fully and actively listening, I’ve either not obeyed or have missed a blessing. So often, God spoke and still speaks to people who didn’t and/or don’t want to listen. Scripture is filled with examples. In order to become a better listener in conversational prayer, I must practice truly listening to what I hear and gaining understanding. The disciplines of silence and solitude are very helpful and necessary for my transformational growth in listening to God. If I don’t spend time nurturing my soul in this way, I can easily be the person James admonishes: “Don’t fool yourself into thinking that you are a listener when you are anything but, letting the Word go in one ear and out the other. Act on what you hear! Those who hear and don’t act are like those who glance in the mirror, walk away, and two minutes later have no idea who they are, what they look like” (James 1:22-24 MSG). God is very clear about Who we are to listen to: “While he was still speaking, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and behold, a voice out of the cloud said, ‘This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well-pleased; listen to Him’” (Matthew 17:5)! And Jesus, by example, practiced getting away from the noise and the crowds to hear God in silent, solitary places. How much more should we? In biblical times, people heard from God but didn’t always listen to Him, which means they did not obey. For me it comes down to paying “close attention” to what is heard from Jesus: “Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand.” Then he added, “Pay close attention to what you hear. The closer you listen, the more understanding you will be given—and you will receive even more. To those who listen to my teaching, more understanding will be given. But for those who are not listening, even what little understanding they have will be taken away from them.” (Mark 4:23-25 NLT). What a powerful promise and warning! One who demonstrated listening for understanding in Scripture was Mary of Bethany “…who was seated at the Lord’s feet, listening to His word” (Luke 10:39). It’s easy to listen to the wrong voices in our culture today. Amidst all of the distractions, hearing the voice of Jesus is sometimes very difficult; however, it can be discerned more easily through practicing the disciplines that our Lord engaged in. One of my deepest desires is to get into a much better rhythm of silence and solitude in order to “listen to Him.”

Originally published as a blog post by Harvest Prayer Ministries A while back, I went through a personally difficult and discouraging season due to some pressing and very serious issues in our family. I’m sure you have all experienced such struggles. And, if you are like me, the almost overwhelming weight of the temptation to “fix” everything in the lives of those I love threatened to undermine my peace, joy and contentment in the midst of my circumstances. As I unburdened my heart to a dear friend, she took me to Psalm 40 and encouraged me to sit there with God for awhile. What an amazing gift! For the sake of this blog, I am only going to focus upon the first three verses. There is so much richness and treasure to be mined here! Let me share with you some of the incredibly restorative prayers that burst out of these verses: Psalm 40:1a  “I waited patiently for the LORD…” The Prayer of Waiting:  Father, help me to wait patiently for You…to experience Your sweet and comforting presence in the midst of the chaos, confusion and pain! I trust You to be the answer to each of my loved ones’ lives…whether an issue, illness, situation, relationship or dysfunction. You alone can repair, restore and heal. Give me the ability to lay down my burdens at the foot of the cross of Christ so that I am able to watch you move in clarity and precision to do what cannot be done in my human strength. Help me to trust You fully with the lives, minds and hearts of those I love so that You can do Your work more perfectly within, around and through them. Please show me how to set aside my pride and my “need” to fix things or to “come to the rescue.” Give me the desire to get out of Your way and let You move! God’s Response to the Prayer of Waiting: Psalm 40:1b “…and He inclined to me and heard my cry.” My Prayer:  How amazing to me that You, the God of the Universe, literally leaned in towards me and heard my cry! How precious I am to You! How grateful my heart is and how much I must mean to You to take time to hear my pitiful cries for help. In the midst of my anguish, You care for me so very much – way more than I could ever imagine! Thank You, Abba Father…for bending down and ministering to my broken spirit. Thank You that I can always know You are listening and hearing me as I call upon Your holy name! Psalm 40:2a “He brought me up out of the pit of destruction, out of the miry clay…” My Prayer:  Loving Jesus, You not only heard my cries for help, but You brought me up out of the pit – the desperate place where I was filled with despair and discouragement and doubt and depression. When I was sinking in the mire, You filled me with hope and allowed me to see the light in the midst of one of the darkest places and seasons I have ever known. My heart is filled with thanksgiving that You have literally pulled me out of the clay that was sucking me under. I was struck down but not destroyed (2 Corinthians 4:9) for You defeated the enemy on my behalf. Psalm 40:2b “He set my feet upon a rock making my footsteps firm.” My Prayer:  Grace-filled God, after You pulled me up You gently put my feet on solid ground so I could walk without stumbling! You knew that I would need a firm foundation – a safe place to learn how to walk securely and upon which to dance with delight once again. Father, You helped me to find my balance when I was teetering on the edge of an abyss. I was so afraid I would fall in, for the pressure felt so great and the storm was insatiably vicious. But You held out Your hand to me in the midst of it all and graciously rescued my thoughts from the temptation to give in to despair…and set me down where I could no longer be battered by the taunts and lies of the enemy of my soul. You stood me up on the Rock that is Christ Jesus! Psalm 40:3a “He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God…” My Prayer:  Holy Spirit, my joy was literally ebbing away until You rescued me and filled my mouth with fresh, new praises to the God of Glory!  You have given me hope and peace and life once again and in the midst of the struggles of my circumstances, You have reminded me to keep my gaze fixed upon the Holy One. You’ve helped me to understand how to rejoice always, even when life seems brutally unfair – especially to those I love and care for the most.  Please keep teaching me new songs moment by moment, for worshiping the King of kings is my deepest desire. Keep me focused upon Your word, for embedded there is the sword that defeats the enemy. May I sing Your words back to You as a thank offering for all You have done to rescue me from destructive thoughts and actions. “Blessed be Your glorious name, and may it be exalted above all blessing and praise. You alone are the Lord. You made the heavens, even the highest heavens, and all their starry host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them. You give life to everything, and the multitudes of heaven worship you” (Nehemiah 9:5-6). God has done all of these things SO THAT: Psalm 40:3b “Many will see and fear and will trust in the Lord.” When others see how God has allowed me to walk through my circumstances in victory, they will be in awe of what my amazing, Almighty God can do. They want to trust in a God who can do what He has done, is doing and will continue to do for me when I cry out to Him. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 says, “Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” This scripture doesn’t say that we are to be joyful  for  our difficult and painful circumstances, but it  does  say we are to be joyful, prayerful, and thankful  in the midst  of them. How do we do that? If we will pour out our hearts to God in prayer from our deepest, darkest places of despair, we need to have faith that He will bend down to hear us, lift us up out of the pit, and set us upright on solid footing once again so that we can walk in victorious praise and so that many will see His goodness and power and put their trust in Him. God will use your most devastating circumstances to bring glory to Himself through you! Your prayers from the pit can be the very thing that rescues others from the pit as well. Stand firm in times of suffering and “Wait patiently for the Lord.” He is there and just waiting for you to recognize His presence in the midst of your trials. Trust Him to bend down to listen and hear your cries of desperation so that He can hold out His hand to You and show You His faithfulness. And then…don’t keep His rescue a secret! Give Him the praise and the glory so that “many will see and fear and will trust in the Lord.”

Originally published as a blog post by Harvest Prayer Ministries I read and pray from the Psalms almost every day. Sometimes I get stuck . . .  I’m sure you have experienced it too. There are certain verses that stop me in my tracks–even when I have read them many times before. A few days ago I had one of those experiences.I love Psalm 25 because it is a prayer that comes from David’s gut–his pain over his own youthful sin and his awareness that the consequences of his sin have brought difficult circumstances his way. It is a psalm I can relate to in very personal ways as I look back over my past and present sinfulness, and then trust in the grace-filled mercy of the Father to forgive and redeem my struggles for His good purposes. David’s psalm gives me great hope for the future, even as I reflect upon God’s goodness to me in the past. So, as I began to read the psalm recently, I couldn’t move beyond the first verse: “To You, O LORD, I lift up my soul.” It made me ask the question, “What does it mean to lift up my soul to God?” I considered the fact that I am made up of body (my physical being), spirit (the part of me that connects with God through the spiritual realm) and soul (my mind, will and emotions). I am a soul with a spirit. My soul is the part of me that is tempted consistently to sin…using my body to carry it out through my words, thoughts or actions. It is my spirit that touches the heart of God and the place where He can heal my sin sickness and set me upon the path of following Jesus more fully. Lifting up my soul to God means that I willingly give Him my sinfulness that has been set in motion by my mind, will or emotions. Immediately my thoughts went to an old African American spiritual, “There Is a Balm in Gilead.” The first verse says: Sometimes I feel discouraged and think my work’s in vain, But then the Holy Spirit revives my soul again. There is a balm in Gilead to make the wounded whole; There is a balm in Gilead to heal the sin-sick soul. Such good theology! It is the Holy Spirit that renews and revives our sin-sick souls. Our Great Physician is an amazing Soul Healer! How grateful I am to know that when my soul has led me into sin or is considering sinful behavior, if I will allow it, my spirit can engage the heart of God for forgiveness and healing. He can also give me the strength and power to resist. When I am discouraged, afraid, threatened, etc. He is always there to bring comfort, protection and encouragement. The consequences of sin always remain, but God is there with me in the midst of those consequences…sad that I have chosen a path that led me away from Christlikeness. Watchman Nee* says that the spirit is meant to be the part of me that is the strongest; however, my soul must submit to my spirit rather than give in to the impulse to sin. This is where my free will comes in. I am free to choose which way I will go. Nee also teaches that the body is world-consciousness, the soul is self-consciousness and the spirit is God-consciousness. This is very helpful as I recognize that prayer involves all three of these elements! If the spirit rules the other two, I am most aligned with the plans and purposes of God. Lifting up my soul is submitting my soul to God in prayerfulness, asking Him to intervene in my mind, will, emotions as well as my physical body – whatever has led to the situation or mental state in which I find myself. I am trying to cultivate more occasions when I lift up my soul to God in thankfulness and praise! Mary, the mother of Jesus, comes quickly to mind and is probably the most amazing example of this kind of praying! In Luke 1:46-47, “Mary said: ‘My soul exalts the Lord, and my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior.’” In this passage, Mary also delineates between her soul and her spirit. Her mind, will and emotions exalted the Lord and her spirit, the part of her being that connects with the spiritual realm rejoiced in God her Savior. And, she was also submitting her body to be used for a holy purpose that would change the course of history and provide for the salvation of mankind. I can involve all parts of my being in this prayer relationship (body, soul and spirit); however, I must choose to do so. If my soul does not yield to the spirit continually, I am in danger of sin and worldliness. Soul Prayers from Psalm 25 After pondering how to lift up my soul to God, I felt that God was leading me to step into a season of prayer using the rest of Psalm 25 as a guide. Here are some of the prayers I engaged in and hope will be useful to you as well: Trust God to Keep You from Sin (Psalm 25:2-3): “O my God, in You I trust, do not let me be ashamed; do not let my enemies exult over me. Indeed, none of those who wait for You will be ashamed; those who deal treacherously without cause will be ashamed.”  Thank You, Father, that I can place my complete trust in You to keep my soul pure and holy. Continue to guide me so that I will never be ashamed of my behavior, words or thoughts. I praise You that if I will wait for You and seek after Your heart, I will never be ashamed. Seek the Guidance of God (Psalm 25:4-5): “Make me know Your ways, O LORD; teach me Your paths. Lead me in Your truth and teach me, for You are the God of my salvation; for You I wait all the day.” Keep me from running after my own wisdom, Father. May I humbly keep my heart firmly upon Your path as You teach me Your truth and embed it into my soul more and more each day.  Ask God to forgive and forget your sins from the past because of His compassion and lovingkindness (Psalm 25:6-7, 10-11):  “Remember, O LORD, Your compassion and Your lovingkindnesses, for they have been from of old. Do not remember the sins of my youth or my transgressions; according to Your lovingkindness remember me, for Your goodness’ sake, O LORD…All the paths of the LORD are lovingkindness and truth to those who keep His covenant and His testimonies. For Your name’s sake, O LORD, pardon my iniquity, for it is great.”  Loving Lord, how amazed I am each day for Your kind and generous provision of Jesus, who gave up His very life to allow my sins to be washed away. Petition the Lord for deliverance (Psalm 25:15-18): From the evil intentions of others (v. 15) “My eyes are continually toward the Lord, for He will pluck my feet out of the net.” From loneliness and affliction (v. 16) “Turn to me and be gracious to me, for I am lonely and afflicted.” From trouble and distress of the heart (v. 17) “The troubles of my heart are enlarged; bring me out of my distresses.” From the sins that have caused the afflictions and trouble (v. 18) “Look upon my affliction and my trouble, and forgive all my sins.” One last prayer of deliverance returns yet again to the soul…the place where my Psalm 25 journey began is also the place where it ends! In order to continually lift our souls to the Lord, we must ask God to guard our souls, for our mind, will and emotions can be our undoing apart from His help: “Guard my soul and deliver me; do not let me be ashamed, for I take refuge in You. Let integrity and uprightness preserve me, for I wait for You” (Psalm 25:20-21). The evil that so strongly attempts to way-lay us can only be thwarted by the power of the Holy Spirit moving upon our souls. We must wait upon the Lord, and continually seek Him so that He may preserve us with integrity and uprightness.

Originally published as a blog post by Harvest Prayer Ministries At a staff gathering recently, I was asked which Bible character was a real hero to me. My immediate answer was Moses, not so much because of his amazing miracles or leadership ability, but because of his intimacy with God. Again and again in Scripture we see Moses in wonderfully intimate conversation with his God. Exodus 33:7-11 is an excellent example of why Moses is a hero of mine: “Now Moses used to take a tent and pitch it outside the camp some distance away, calling it ‘the tent of meeting.’ Anyone inquiring of the Lord would go to the tent of meeting outside the camp. And whenever Moses went out to the tent, all the people rose and stood at the entrances to their tents, watching Moses until he entered the tent. As Moses went into the tent, the pillar of cloud would come down and stay at the entrance, while the Lord spoke with Moses. Whenever the people saw the pillar of cloud standing at the entrance to the tent, they all stood and worshiped, each at the entrance to his tent. The Lord would speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks with his friend. Then Moses would return to the camp, but his young aide Joshua son of Nun did not leave the tent.” I believe there is much in this story that can help each of us grow in our intimate relationship with God. The Discipline of a Place Moses had a regular place where he met with God. He took the time and effort to pitch a tent, which he even called “the tent of meeting,” outside the camp. There are several important items in this passage that might escape our attention if we don’t look carefully. Note the habit: “Moses used to” (v. 7). This was a regular discipline for Moses. He didn’t have an idea to just one day pitch a tent. It was the discipline of having a place to meet with God. I think it is also important to recognize that he had this tent erected outside the camp. It was not in the middle of the hustle and bustle of everyday life . . . but outside the camp. Walking with God in the midst of all of life is important, but to draw near in intimacy, we will all need quiet places where we can withdraw and spend uninterrupted time alone with the Lord. The Priority of a Leader The time that Moses spent in the tent was obvious to the people. They all knew when their leader was going to spend time consulting with God. Moses made this a priority in his life as a leader of the people of God. It would amaze many leaders today to know how much their people desire that their pastor spend much time in intimacy with the Lord. It is of great comfort to God’s people to know that the priority of their leaders is to walk close to God. The Passion for the Presence The tent of meeting was a very visible sign to Moses of the fulfillment of God’s promise that He would go with them. Moses had begged God not to send them anywhere apart from His presence. So here, in this very portable prayer room, Moses came to spend face-to-face time with God. Moses was a man with a passion for the presence of God and the visible expression of that passion was coming to this obvious place of meeting. The Visibility of Power You can’t hide a life hidden with God. By its very nature, a life of spiritual intimacy and prayer is quiet and doesn’t cry out for attention, but the transformation it brings to an individual’s life begins to cry out with power. Here is an old man (Moses) trudging through the camp to a tent out beyond the others. He’s just going to pray, but the times of intimate fellowship have triggered the power of God in a visible way. As Moses walks into the tent, the heavens open and a pillar of cloud descends to guard the door to the tent. No one is going to disturb this prayer time. The people are watching. Nothing is done in secret. The power of God has come into their midst because their leader has begun to pray. How desperate the Church is today for men and women of God who regularly come to the tent of meeting! How we long to see the pillar of God’s presence descend into our camps because a godly leader has come to meet with his God!   The Response of the People When Moses went to talk with God, the people of Israel paid attention. As he walked to the tent, all along the way the people stood, I believe, both in honor and in anticipation. Something is going to happen! Indeed, as Moses goes into the tent, the pillar of cloud descends. As the people in the camp begin to discern God’s visible presence, they begin to worship outside their tents. The prayer of this man of God has prompted great worship among his people toward their God. We are not Israel in the desert today. Moses’ tent of meeting became the Tabernacle, which became the Temple, which–in awe we say it–which has become us. We are now the meeting place of God. Our very bodies have become His Temple (1 Cor. 3:16). Emmanuel, God with us, has taken up residence within us through His Spirit. We need to be careful that this truth is present reality in our lives and not just theological belief. In many ways, we have privileges that Moses could not have imagined. He had to walk outside the camp to a tent to talk with God. We have the privilege of talking with God wherever we are. Amazing! Amazing grace of God that He has come to dwell in us! The challenge is simple. Don’t read a story like this and say, “Oh, wouldn’t it have been great like Moses to meet with God in the tent of meeting?” Today, wherever you go, your tent of meeting goes with you. If we will wake up and realize the amazing gift God has given us through Jesus, we can walk in this great intimacy each day and once again, the world will see the life of God lived out through His (new) covenant people.

Originally published as a blog post by Harvest Prayer Ministries Every morning I try to pray, “Father, show me how to be more like Jesus Christ today so that You will be glorified!” Knowing that every day I will fall short of this goal, I take joy in the smallest victories to this end! My flesh loves to be in control and clings to anxiety with stubborn pride. However, God’s Word faithfully restores my confidence in His ability to transform my heart and life! Andrew Murray stated, “When God gives the Holy Spirit, His great object is the formation of a holy character. It is a gift of a holy mind and spiritual disposition, and what we need above everything else is to say: ‘I must have the Holy Spirit sanctifying my whole inner life if I am really to live for God’s glory.’” Through the power of the Holy Spirit, the voice of Christ within me speaks. Moment by moment I must bring my sinful thoughts, actions and words to Him as quickly as they arise so that gradually they will give way to His thoughts, actions and words. I pray to be less, even though everything prideful in me seeks attention and recognition. This is not an easy struggle, but growing up in Christ is a narrow path burdened with worldly distractions and insidious idolatry that sets itself up against the transformational work of God. It is a battle that can only be won in the spiritual realm–not by my own determination and desire. Without dying to my flesh, the formation of this holy character cannot be evident in me. Paul recognized that God’s children are susceptible to the deception of darkness without complete faith and trust in the One who created us and knows us best. Therefore, in his letter to “God’s holy people” in the city of Colosse, he shares a powerful prayer that, prayed for our lives and the lives of others, will transform us more and more into the image of Jesus Christ: “For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding. And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light” (Colossians 1:9-12). There is much to be gleaned for our everyday life from the purposes of Paul’s prayer. How we, God’s people, need to be filled with the knowledge of His will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding. So often we struggle in the flesh to know the will of God, yet do we ever ask to be filled with the knowledge of His will? What a powerful prayer request! “Father, fill me with the knowledge of Your will for my life through all spiritual wisdom and understanding!” Still, it is important to recognize that the term “spiritual wisdom” in our culture has been horribly abased. Not everything with this label is Christian in nature. We must be vigilant to ask the Father to fill us, and those for whom we are interceding, with Holy Spirit wisdom through the very mind of Christ, so that we may have a clear and perfect understanding of His will for us! The result? Those for whom we pray will begin to live lives worthy of the Lord, pleasing Him in every way by bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, and being strengthened with all power according to the glorious might of God! Here we will begin to see the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit moving within and throughout our day to day lives. Is there anyone who would not want such a prayer of blessing and power? Paul prays for the believers to be strengthened so that they might have great endurance and patience to withstand whatever struggles, trials or persecutions might come. Why? So that they might be able joyfully to give thanks to God in the midst of their day-to-day lives–whatever may come! I am eager to give thanks to the Father when I am comfortable and life is going well; however, only His supernatural strength upholds my joy when that is not the case! How many believers do you know who need the courage of God in their lives right now to endure a trial? Isn’t it a powerful encouragement to see those saints who are able to live in full joy and confidence in the midst of pain or difficulty? Pray that God will give you and other believers such strength, so that we may joyfully give thanks to God, who has qualified us “to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light.” The way of holiness is to walk in the way of Jesus through the power of the Holy Spirit. As we pray the powerful word of God into our everyday lives, and crucify our fleshly desires to lean into the desires of our Father, we will live more fully within the kingdom of His light. We will know the will of God for our lives, and please Him in every way. We will be given His strength and be sustained by joy and thanksgiving! May the formation of a holy character continue in us all for the glory of God!

Originally published as a blog post by Harvest Prayer Ministries I am on a journey to narrow the gaps of unawareness of Christ’s Presence within me so that the truth of 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 can take root in my spirit and grow to fullness. “Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” If it is God’s will for me to rejoice always, pray without ceasing and give thanks in the midst of all of my circumstances, then I need a complete transformation of my heart, mind and will! I have sensed God urging me to make my life a prayer to live in such a way that a spirit of prayerfulness rooted in worship and gratefulness invades every moment. “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me” (Galatians 2:20). What would it be like to have every moment filled with living out the amazing truth that He is in me and I am in Him? My whole life would be a constant prayer for I would be in continual communion with the One I love, and who loves me more than I can ever comprehend. The issue, of course, is how to do this in a practical way in my daily living. To live my life as a continual prayer demands a battle with my flesh. The Battle with Flesh I have heard of people who have set alarms to draw themselves back into awareness of the presence of God. That seems like a good idea. But I have the Holy Spirit to remind me of all things. So I have begun to ask Him to infuse me with continual awareness! I know this is possible because I am not in the realm of the flesh, but in the realm of the Spirit . . . and the Spirit lives in me as Romans 8:9 tells me: “You, however, are not in the realm of the flesh but are in the realm of the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you.” The living Word of God, Jesus Christ, lives within me, and Scripture compels me to live my life in Him: “So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him” (Colossians 2:6). As rejoicing and thankfulness take root in my spirit, I will become equipped to offer my body as a living sacrifice for His sake. “Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will” (Romans 12:1-2). As I ponder this, it seems the most practical thing I can do is to humbly and earnestly call upon the indwelling Spirit of God to meet me in every moment, mundane or significant, joyful or sad, peace-filled or fearful, quiet or filled with turmoil. He is God, and He lives within me! Father, may I truly be transformed so that Your perfect will is shaped within me for the purposes of Your kingdom.